Using your phone at the dinner table? You’d be having more fun if you weren’t

A new study has found that people enjoy their time with friends and family less when they do not use their phones.

By Verity Burns

28th February 2018, 8:31 pm

Updated: 28th February 2018, 8:35 pm

PLENTY of us are guilty of it, but new research has shown that people who use their mobile phones when out with friends and family enjoy themselves less.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia investigating the effect of smartphones on face-to-face social interactions, found that those who reached for their devices when out with friends and family had less fun than those who did not.

Researcher found that people who use their phones at the dinner table enjoyed their time less than those who didn't.

"As useful as smartphones can be, our findings confirm what many of us likely already suspected," said Ryan Dwyer, the study's lead author and PhD student in the department of psychology.

"When we use our phones while we are spending time with people we care about – apart from offending them – we enjoy the experience less than we would if we put our devices away."

For the study, the researchers asked more than 300 people to go to dinner with friends or family at a restaurant.

While being very careful to ensure participants were unaware their smartphone use was being monitored, they were randomly assigned to either keep their phones on the table or to put their phones away during the meal.

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"An important finding of happiness research is that face-to-face interactions are incredibly important for our day-to-day wellbeing," said Dunn.

"This study tells us that, if you really need your phone, it's not going to kill you to use it. But there is a real and detectable benefit from putting your phone away when you're spending time with friends and family."